The Secrets of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

Since our first taste of the modern vampire in Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel, Dracula has been featured in everything from radio to TV to movies, books, comics, and even video games. Of those games, none can top Konami’s Castlevania series, which dates all the way back to 1986.

That franchise, now at well over 30 different game releases since its inception, is about to get a new title. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 comes out in the U.S. on February 25 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, amid the usual flurry of teasers, trailers and previews. Lords of Shadow 2 has been several years in the making and wraps up a trilogy developed by MercurySteam. It includes multiple new features and some star-studded voicing from actor Patrick Stewart.

Dave Cox, producer of the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series, recently agreed to answer questions from Game Theory about the coming game. Below is an edited Q&A conducted with the Konami producer via email.

Describe this game in your own words. Who’s our hero? What’s the point of the game?

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is the sequel to the previous game in the series and continues the story of Dracula. In the previous game, we showed how Gabriel Belmont became Dracula, and in this game, we pick up many centuries in the future to present day with him waking up from a long sleep. Dracula has been woken for a purpose, Satan is returning and the only one who can take him down is Dracula. So you as the player need to regain your powers of old in order for you to defeat Satan. Of course, there is more to it than that, Dracula seeks an end to his immortal life and that involves making a bargain with an old enemy. You play Dracula throughout the game and you explore a vast city and your old Castle searching for items and relics. By exploring the World, you regain old abilities and weapons. Is this a tale of redemption or revenge? That’s for you to discover…

Is there any allegory or deeper message in the game that the uninformed or those who haven’t played the earlier versions in the series would otherwise miss?

Our Dracula isn’t a Dracula we’ve seen before in other forms of media notably books or movies, this is a character that has many contradictions. We see Dracula doing the usual vampire stuff, biting people, turning into mist and transforming his appearance but we also see a more human side to his persona. A character capable of love, forgiveness and mercy. We try to show that evil isn’t a black and white thing. We try to show that evil people can do good things too and indeed, vice-versa. In previous Castlevania games, he was portrayed like a Bela Lugosi style character. We wanted to show a more believable side to the character and give players a “hero” to identify with. So our goal was to present a modern take on the character and his journey.

Do you believe in character development? If so, walk us through how our “protagonist” has progressed from the first iteration through to this third one.

Cox Gabriel has travelled the path of the righteous yet fallen into darkness along the way. A holy warrior who fought for love. By cruel twist of fate murdered his wife, killed his son, shattered his family through the generations. We see him wake up in the present, weak, confused and yearning for release but their is also unfinished business too. Has Gabriel embraced his evil side? Does he have his own agenda or is this a tale of redemption?

What is the one, biggest, most-important feature of Lords of Shadow 2 that you want gamers to take away from this game?

I think the biggest improvement we have made is the stronger emphasis on exploration. This is a game that gives players an immense world to explore. It feels more like a grand adventure game than a hack-and-slash fighter. Of course, the hack-and-slash element is still there and much deeper, more strategic than before but the game has so much more to offer than the usual quick fix of violence and linear progress. We added a free camera and a progressively open world which I think allows players to really embroil themselves in the dark atmosphere and story that the game has to offer.

We are now gagging for next-gen console games. Why are we not getting LoS2 for Xbox One or PS4?

We felt that as the game started on current-gen consoles that it was fitting that it end on them. There are millions of people out there who don’t have a PS4 and Xbox One and who are waiting for a deep adventure game, with stunning art design and visuals, a compelling grown up story and epic scale. This is an ambitious game, and I think stands up to any current next gen game on the market.

What’s it like working with Patrick Stewart? Does he just blow everyone else away?

Patrick is very professional, a little intimidating and yet generous and friendly. He helped bring the character and story alive through his skill and experience of film and theatre. As a game developer trying to bring some emotion and gravitas to the story, he is able to deliver it in spades. We learned a lot from him!

Who are LoS players? What do you know about them? What do they say to you about your games?

Our players are older than you might expect. We know they like a good yarn yet want to explore a real world and be free to do so outside the confines of story. Many are lapsed Castlevania fans who remember the classic games and many are long time fans of the series. What I am most proud of is that quite a few are new to the series and have taken a dip into the world of Castlevania because they want a deep action adventure game with real substance and unique art direction and design.